Can anybody help? I've built and repaired many PC's in my life, but this one has me flummoxed!

D,
Hello... Just a thought Windows 7 does not use "IDE" , but SATA (AHCI) drivers.....XP does not have AHCI drivers but IDE. So......

If your BIOS is set for AHCI ...and try to load up XP .....Blue Screen

If your BIOS is set for IDE ...and try to load up "7" .......Blue Screen

1. Check your BIOS settings ... you might have to Slipstream the correct drivers ( Nlite)..or use a program like Macrium Reflect ( Re-deploy function) or Acronis Plus Pack, also has the same type of function to insert the AHCI drivers for XP

2. If your just installing "7" make sure BIOS is set for AHCI Regards Fred

PlainFred

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free (J. W. Von Goethe)

D,
Hello... Not sure what you meant by "Just tried it" ...Did you check your BIOS setting and make sure that it is set for AHCI? ( For Windows 7 ) also you say that your Hard Drives are IDE? If they are then you have to have the BIOS set at IDE

Also this sounds like a driver issue possibly for the CPU ...Did you install the drivers for the AMD ?( from the Motherboard Install?) Regards Fred

PS: on newer PC's you have to choose IDE or SATA (AHCI) My ASUS Motherboard (990FX) is only one or the other

PlainFred

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free (J. W. Von Goethe)

Ya, it can't be a controller setting because the IDE drive is on an IDE controller port right? Make sure the SATA DVD drive is plugged into either the 5 or 6 SATA port. I might try just one drive on a different (new) single IDE ribbon and if that didn't work I'd try a SATA drive on a SATA port to possibly further define exactly where the problem may lie.

The error seems to be from a PCI imbalance between the PCI bus and any PCI device but there isn't anything plugged into a PCI slot right? So it seems just from the surface that it's a motherboard fault but since that and other components have been replaced, seems less likely its that. However RAM can always cause nefarious errors of all sorts even if it seems like its the right type and speed. So if the SATA drive install should fail in the same way, and assuming all components are good, my only idea would be to try different RAM configurations, speeds, and BIOS voltage settings within tolerances if available.

Goofy as it sounds, sometimes it's just a bad assembly of components that don't like each other.

I checked the BIOS settings for the drives, and reinstalled Windows 7 to see what would happen.

The IDE drives are set as IDE, and I've now set the SATA ports to AHCI.

D,
Hello..The first problem i see is that if you have IDE Hard Drives ...you then need IDE Drivers installed on your Windows 7 (see Screen shot of my OS Device Manager ..there are no IDE Drivers that came with my 7 \ 64 Pro ) ...The other way is to change your IDE Hard Drives to SATA (AHCI) With IDE to SATA adapters. Did you get an Install Disk with your motherboard? Regards Fred

I don't think Windows 7 has lost the ability to see and treat IDE controllers natively. I've installed to several IDE drives on IDE controllers; the install disk is original but MS wouldn't remove that later would they? The only problem I've ever had with an old IDE system is the DVD disc wouldn't boot over the IDE controller, it was still limited to CD booting only.

I checked the BIOS settings for the drives, and reinstalled Windows 7 to see what would happen.

The IDE drives are set as IDE, and I've now set the SATA ports to AHCI.

D,
Hello..The first problem i see is that if you have IDE Hard Drives ...you then need IDE Drivers installed on your Windows 7 (see Screen shot of my OS Device Manager ..there are no IDE Drivers that came with my 7 \ 64 Pro ) ...The other way is to change your IDE Hard Drives to SATA (AHCI) With IDE to SATA adapters. Did you get an Install Disk with your motherboard? Regards Fred

Fred: Just curious about something: I upgraded an XP PC to Windows 7. It had an IDE hard drive and an IDE DVD drive. The DVD drive refused to read the Windows 7 install disk. I replaced it with another IDE DVD drive; same thing. I put in a SATA DVD drive, and the problem disappeared and there has never been a problem since with the DVD drive.

In your opinion, was this problem caused by the lack of IDE support in Windows 7? My IDE hard drive continues to work in that computer to this day; the problem was only with the IDE DVD drive.

I've built PC's like this using both IDE, and SATA, but never had an issue with a clean install, in fact windows 7 had always been easier.

This PC itself was running OK for nearly 3 years before the BSOD issue arose. Because of this I do not believe it's a component mismatch. In addition the processor and memory are both on the Asus certified list.

I am leaning back towards a hardware fault despite having had everything changed. It remains a possibility that one of the replacement items was also faulty, but difficult to prove.

Against this the PC will run forever without any apparent failure, for example forming the hard drive and running memory tests, and crashes only when I attempt to install an OS! This implies to me that the BSOD is software related and not hardware.

Nope! No views either way here. If it's not a motherboard fault the error is not directly associative so I'm just thinking of the most likely secondary causes that might trigger that sort of blue screen, and second hand is never as precise as one would like. Hence my only option would be to throw brute force diagnostic configurations at it for a while. Not a lot you can do software-wise except reset the BIOS? You already tried an XP install with the same results correct? Try installing a LINUX distro like Ubuntu maybe.

In your opinion, was this problem caused by the lack of IDE support in Windows 7? My IDE hard drive continues to work in that computer to this day; the problem was only with the IDE DVD drive.

mrjim,

Hello... I also had a similar experience ...let me explain... On my old PC that was running Vista ( with all SATA HD's and DVD R\W) I was able to install XP Pro, and "7" without any issues ...driver or otherwise ..Guess the HP "Mobo" has some IDE\ SATA Legacy

Next came a new PC (home built) with an ASUS Mobo ... I could install "7", Vista, ( All SATA AHCI ) .."No Problemo"... But could not install XP-Pro without the blue screen... The install disk wouldn't even read or see any of the SATA AHCI Hard Drives..

The problem was that there were no SATA AHCI drivers that came with the XP Pro Install Disk ... Had to "Sneak-Em-In" using Macrium Reflect "Re-Deploy Function"

Think that the "OP's" problem is his new Mobo BIOS has like mine only one choice or the other... IDE or SATA (not both) so "7" won't boot if set to IDE..unless you install the drivers ...and will blue screen...And XP won't Load or boot with SATA AHCI set in BIOS..... Hope this explains some... Regards Fred

PS: Could still be a AMD \ CPU... Issue Had to install ( ASUS Disk) the correct driver that came with the MOBO Booting into Macrium Reflect Re-Deploy.

Last edited by Just Plain Fred; 2013-06-06 at 16:09.

PlainFred

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free (J. W. Von Goethe)

XP has a step in the install where it asks for any additional drivers. If you have a floppy with the SATA drivers, you can install them at this point. If you don't have a floppy drive, you have to set the SATA mode to IDE as you did.

In that case absolutely Fred. I think the install is going to the IDE 40 pin connector and controller in this case though.

From post 3;

I've only got the DVD drive on a SATA port, but I'll give it a go.

Also the type of error you're referencing Fred will produce a different blue screen error. I've never seen a 124 myself but plenty of incompatible controllers and PCIe port blue screens when installing versions prior to XP SP2, and any non-slipstreamed driver packs for any version of XP, but always in relation to using a SATA port, not the IDE channel.